Clinicians use medical devices alone or in combination with drug therapy and surgery to treat medical conditions. Depending on the condition, medical devices can be surgically implanted or connected externally to the patient receiving treatment. For some conditions, medical devices provide the best, and sometimes the only, therapy to restore an individual to a more healthy condition. These conditions may include various pelvic floor disorders such as, for example, overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome.
Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome is often expressed as frequent and spontaneous activation or inhibition of the detrusor muscle, which may manifest in the form of urge incontinence, urinary frequency syndrome, or chronic urinary retention. Acute conditions, such as, for example, bladder stones, may cause a temporary or “acute” onset of overactive bladder syndrome. Once the stones are passed from the urinary tract, urinary urgency subsides. Chronic conditions such as, for example, interstitial cystitis, may cause persistent overactive bladder syndrome that does not improve with time.
For those with either acute or chronic overactive bladder syndrome who have been unsuccessful with more conservative treatments, such as drugs or behavioral modification, treatments such as neural stimulation can be effective. The neural stimulation treatment procedure is based on mild electrical stimulation of nerves, for example, the sacral nerves and the pudendal nerve, which may inhibit preganglionic neurons, thereby suppressing detrusor overactivity. This treatment employs a neuromodulation system including an implanted lead that is attached to a medical device implanted in the patient receiving treatment. The neural stimulation therapy may be controlled using an external device or may be automated.
While existing neuromodulation systems for treating overactive bladder syndrome may be effective for their intended purpose, it is desirable to improve methods of using such systems so that they may adjust for efficacy and patient tolerance levels to the electrical stimulation. Additionally and/or alternatively, it is desirable to provide a system that may be intuitive to use so that it may be used by patients in an outpatient setting with limited or no medical supervision.